How to take a democracy to
police-state, by Dick Cheney;

1) Five GOP appointees on Supreme Court interfere with Florida’s right to conduct it’s recount, and install Bush Jr, who lost the 2000 popular vote.

2) Downing Street Memos indicate Bush admin meetings & plans to collude with the Blair UK government mere weeks after 9/11/01, in creating justifications for attacking Iraq.

3) CIA intel is “stovepiped” and cherry-picked to justify false claim of imminent WMD threat from Iraq. Bush sends U.S. military into battle on authorizations obtained with smoke and mirrors, thousands of American soldiers are killed, tens of thousands maimed in urban-warfare quagmire.

4) Longtime U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson publishes article in June 2003 refuting Bush “Yellowcake from Africa” claim put forth in his 2003 SOU address. His wife, 20-year covert service agent Valerie Plame is then exposed as a CIA agent by GOP mouthpieces such as Robert Novak, on plan cooked up by Cheney’s office to intimidate any dissenters to Iraq invasion. Plame’s distinguished career is ruined, her life possibly put in danger by the outing.

5) Scooter Libby is convicted for obstruction of justice in the Plame abuse-of-power scandal. Bush then commutes his jail sentence.

6) Shortly after 9/11, Bush admin begins mass surveillance of emails and phone calls of Americans, in violation of the 1978 FISA law and the 4th Amendment. Bush lies to reporter in 2004 campaign, that any surveillance conducted is within the law and the Constitution.

7) Bush administration engages in systematic “enhanced interrogation” and rendition program at Abu Gharib, Guantanamo and secret CIA detention facilities, in violation of Geneva Conventions and U.S. law.

8) Eight U.S. Attorneys are fired by Gonzales for not pursuing hand-picked investigations and prosecutions against Democrats.

These are not just assertions for the sake of quibbling and debate. They’re deeply documented at this point, reported on, and verifiable by Google searches. Can there any longer be any real doubt, about the dictatorial aims of the last administration? Is it really the best thing for our future as a free nation and nation of laws, to let ALL of this slide? Can you imagine Nixon receiving just a nod & wink on Watergate?

With all this abuse A-OK, it’s a green light for any administration to ignore the laws on the books. Bush supporters, OK with you if Obama orders his Justice Dept. to start selectively wiretapping and prosecuting Republicans?

That is why you have a nation of laws. It is above partisan interests. Without upholding them – consistently – you slide down the slope to fascism.